towing question

[gw204]

I have found it very entertaining to watch the weekend warriors struggle at the boat ramp getting the boat in and out of the water.

There's usually lots of good shows at Kiptopeke...

Anyway, I personally wouldn't hesitate one bit to pull that boat 1 mile (even a bunch more) with a Cherokee. Of course I would make sure I had perfect trailer brakes, perfect tow vehicle brakes, tranny cooler, all synthetic fluids, rear air bags and possibly a weight distributing hitch first.

 

[PA228G]

I've pulled my loaded 228 up the ramp with a '06 Chevy 4x4 Trailblazer - after it went down a slippery ramp a foot or two - could have been one of those "shows" everyone enjoys so much. Nevertheless, in my book it's not about moving it - it's about controlling it and stopping it on the interstate if someone else does something stupid. That's why I use the F250 99.9% of the time. Testosterone / safety / fun - it's a fine line.

 

[VinMan]

I started shopping for trucks yesterday and hit a bunch of lots and looked at used but still under warranty trucks at the local Ford dealership. I learned that the 4.6 liter motor in any truck only tows 5000. If you get the 5.4 Triton in any truck, it moves up to 7800-8000 depending on wheelbase. I'm gonna look for a nice truck, a year or two old, with the 5.4 liter motor. The gas mileage between that motor and the baby 8 is only 1mpg worse but it will pull any 22ft boat out of the water just fine. Our ramp near my house in S Fla is long and not pitched too steep. The concrete was raked really rough too so there isn't much wheel spinning.

 

[CJBROWN]

Consider a Duramax. I imagine for what you'll spend for a late Ford half ton you can get a 3-4 year old C2500 Duramax. It's a bit overkill for a 208, but would be ideal for something bigger. Worth repeating, you'll never be sorry for having 'too much' truck.

I've got a 2003 4-door shortbox 4x2, one of the first of them, with 62K on it. It's had the injectors replaced (GM Campaign, most were bad) and it gets 22 on the hiway without a load, 14 towing. The later ones are even better, WAY more truck than the half ton pickups. They are really nice trucks, and the Allison transmission is way ahead of everything else. In tow-haul mode it pulls and decellerates just awesome. They are built for towing. Check out torque ratings for your 5.4 to the 6.6 diesel, it's a real eye opener, you can really feel it in the seat of your pants when you drive them.

There's no problem with stopping, starting, and hauling up a ramp with the heavier truck. And the diesel mileage is quite a bit better than gas, comparable or better than a half ton. Plus you'll have better resale should you change your mind down the road, or if you get a bigger boat you'll have a truck that will pull it.

EDIT: PS. Mine has a locker in the diff, it has NEVER spun a tire on a ramp, regardless of how low the tide was, or how slimey it got. But then my 208 is only about 5K on the trailer.

 

[dadsgirl]

We tow our 1988 228G with a 2001 Tahoe with 5.3 ltr V8 & 4wd. Our aluminum float on trailer came without brakes so stopping is an issue but the Tahoe does just fine.

 

[Barlow46]

I started shopping for trucks yesterday and hit a bunch of lots and looked at used but still under warranty trucks at the local Ford dealership. I learned that the 4.6 liter motor in any truck only tows 5000. If you get the 5.4 Triton in any truck, it moves up to 7800-8000 depending on wheelbase. I'm gonna look for a nice truck, a year or two old, with the 5.4 liter motor. The gas mileage between that motor and the baby 8 is only 1mpg worse but it will pull any 22ft boat out of the water just fine. Our ramp near my house in S Fla is long and not pitched too steep. The concrete was raked really rough too so there isn't much wheel spinning.

Be sure to take a good look at the rear end ratio. Most of the 3/4 ton to 1 tons start at 3:73 and go to 4:56. My F450 diesel has a 4:30 and I tow a fifth wheel loaded at 12,000 plus. My truck weighs 9500 loaded with fuel and all. I suffer some in fuel mileage (14 to 15 when not towing and 10.5 when towing here in FL.) Most of my towing is done between 62 and 65 mph. When I tow my small 18 sportsman it makes no difference. Try to find a good compromise between cubic inches/liters and rear end ratio to get the best of both worlds.

 

[VinMan]

I found a few trucks I like but learned something new. The crew cab 150 I almost bought has a 5.4 and is 2wd but does not have limited slip rear end. I may spin one wheel. I am trying to go 2wd for insurance purposes but was told to at least make sure the truck has limited slip so one wheel doesn't spin. I never thought of that. Back to the search.

 

[CJBROWN]

I found a few trucks I like but learned something new. The crew cab 150 I almost bought has a 5.4 and is 2wd but does not have limited slip rear end. I may spin one wheel. I am trying to go 2wd for insurance purposes but was told to at least make sure the truck has limited slip so one wheel doesn't spin. I never thought of that. Back to the search.

You can have a locker installed for less than $500...fyi.

It's about a $200 option from the factory. Out of a hundred pickups, maybe two will have a LS diff. No one really cares, or knows enough to know the difference. Those that need traction will buy a 4x4. Anyone that's offroaded knows that a 4x2 with a LS will go darn near anywhere a 4x4 will. In fact, a true 4x4 needs lockers in both ends if it's really going to make it through the tough stuff. I know, I did the Rubicon trail in my jeep, takes 3 days to go 11 miles 8)

With auto sales tanked, you can probably get them to have one installed for you to make the deal. Just a thought...

 

[VinMan]

Thanks, I may make an offer on one of the trucks I liked, conditional on putting in a locker. I'll bet the dealer can do it right there... thanks

 

[Tunaboyyy]

Sure you can tow it with a 1/2 ton truck but the question is for how long?
There are a ton of deals out there on new and used Diesel trucks. Do it right the first time. 1/2 ton trucks are underbuilt. 3/4 ton trucks are overbuilt. Trying to save Registration costs is not going to make you big dollars. But it will cost you big dollars when you repair your 1/2 ton truck a few times then go buy a bigger truck to do the job right. Just my 2 cents. Check out Dieselplace.com lots of good info on towing.

 

[CJBROWN]

Sure you can tow it with a 1/2 ton truck but the question is for how long?
There are a ton of deals out there on new and used Diesel trucks. Do it right the first time. 1/2 ton trucks are underbuilt. 3/4 ton trucks are overbuilt. Trying to save Registration costs is not going to make you big dollars. But it will cost you big dollars when you repair your 1/2 ton truck a few times then go buy a bigger truck to do the job right. Just my 2 cents. Check out Dieselplace.com lots of good info on towing.

X2, for sure.

The weakest links in a half ton:
transmission - they burn up
differential - the carrier bearings, axle bearings, and gears are too small, they also burn up
cooling system - plan to over heat your engine too. And that auto trans is super-heating the air flowing thru the radiator.

A good friend of mine had a really nice GMC half-ton extended cab with the bigger motor. Rated at 8-9000lbs to tow. He bought a toy-hauler for his family and was all excited about getting out to the desert with it. First trip, tows not too bad, but when they got home he said he could smell something really hot. In looking over the truck he realized he had burnt off all of the paint on the rear diff. Took it in the next week and traded it in on a crew cab duramax. Problem solved. His trailer was about 8000lbs.

For a ski boat/lake boat, pair of jet skiis, 15-18 footers, at 3-4000lbs, the light trucks and SUV's are fine. Once you get to 5-7000lbs and up, you really need to think about getting the right tool for the job. Particularly if you're going to do any towing. A mile to the launch ramp is one thing, any over the road work needs the real deal.

 

[Grog]

Sure you can tow it with a 1/2 ton truck but the question is for how long?
There are a ton of deals out there on new and used Diesel trucks. Do it right the first time. 1/2 ton trucks are underbuilt. 3/4 ton trucks are overbuilt. Trying to save Registration costs is not going to make you big dollars. But it will cost you big dollars when you repair your 1/2 ton truck a few times then go buy a bigger truck to do the job right. Just my 2 cents. Check out Dieselplace.com lots of good info on towing.

X2, for sure.

The weakest links in a half ton:
transmission - they burn up
differential - the carrier bearings, axle bearings, and gears are too small, they also burn up
cooling system - plan to over heat your engine too. And that auto trans is super-heating the air flowing thru the radiator.

A good friend of mine had a really nice GMC half-ton extended cab with the bigger motor. Rated at 8-9000lbs to tow. He bought a toy-hauler for his family and was all excited about getting out to the desert with it. First trip, tows not too bad, but when they got home he said he could smell something really hot. In looking over the truck he realized he had burnt off all of the paint on the rear diff. Took it in the next week and traded it in on a crew cab duramax. Problem solved. His trailer was about 8000lbs.

For a ski boat/lake boat, pair of jet skiis, 15-18 footers, at 3-4000lbs, the light trucks and SUV's are fine. Once you get to 5-7000lbs and up, you really need to think about getting the right tool for the job. Particularly if you're going to do any towing. A mile to the launch ramp is one thing, any over the road work needs the real deal.

He's towing 6K pounds a mile each way in Florida, he doesn't need a diesel dualie!

 

[Harleyfxdl]

As a former mechanic, my opinion is you can tow that boat with a F-150 or equivalent. My suggestion would be to make sure you have a tranny cooler and the brakes and cooling system are up to snuff. Something I would add if you don't have 4-wheel drive is a limited slip differential. If you get on a slippery ramp you'll spin the one wheel and get no where fast. Eaton makes a great HD differential. Anything bigger would be a waste of money. There are alot of people out there telling you that you need a monster truck to tow. Not true! I had a 95' F-150 with a E40D, yes the same trans that was in a F-350. I had the 300 cid 6 cly. I towed in excess of 8k regularly with never a problem in 108,000 miles.

 

[VinMan]

Thanks for all the towing advice. It looks like I'm settling in on a F150 supercab (don't need the crew) with 4wd. If I see a nice low miles truck with the big 5.4 liter motor, I may buy it but I'll have a limited slip rear put in. Either way, I'm up in the 8k lbs range which is plenty. I am fortunate to live in sunny south FLA, less than a mile from a long, rough surface ramp.

 

[magicalbill]

One More Thing...

I bought an adequate 3/4 Chev to pull my Seafarer in '94.

I wanted a diesel then, and everyone talked me out of it.(To be fair, I wasn't TOTALLY sure about it.)

I now pull a 10,000 LB Gulfstream. I had to upgrade to a Diesel Dually as the Chev.couldn't hang..

Moral..
Things change..Boats get bigger...
Do Not buy a truck that is barely adequate to pull a few miles to the ramp..
Before you know it you'll have a bigger boat, pulling it everywhere

Had I followed this advice, I would've saved 35K and had the diesel to begin with...

 

[Harleyfxdl]

I tell all my friends when they ask for advice on trucks, "Don't buy a 4x4 unless you need 4-wheel drive". So many people rush out and buy a 4x4 and never use it. There is a lot of extra maintance on the 4-wheel drive system and the gas milage is worse. In a typical 4x4, if you don't have lmt slip, one front wheel spins and one rear wheels spins. In a 2-wheel drive with lmt slip, BOTH rear wheels spin giving you slightly less traction than the 4x4 (due in part to the weight of the engine over the front drive). I can't tell you how many times my 2-wheel drive truck would go through 12+ inches of snow with nothing more than a set of good snow tires and the lmt slip rear. Save yourself some money and look into a 2-wheel drive truck with a good Eaton lmt slip differential. Just remember, you will get a lot of advice from people but none of them are paying for the truck they say you need!

 

[VinMan]

Man, it was just my day!!! I found an incredible price on a 2007 F150 Crew Cab with a factory towing package (tranny cooler, heavy duty alternator, springs, etc) and a factory limited slip rear end. The truck has 8k on it and still even has that new car smell. I couldn't tell it from the brand new one that it was sitting next to but I saved a bundle.

Here's the question: The Ford owner's manual states that the truck, with the 5.4L motor can tow 8,600 lbs. On the class III hitch that is on this truck it states "weight carrying - 5000 with 500 tongue weight" ... "weght distributing - 9900 lbs with 990 tongue weight"

I am going to run by my local Ford dealership to do what I have to, as the boat I am hunting is going to get close to 6k with gas and coolers, etc, but does any of this mean anything to any of you? By the way, it has the 3.55 rear end.

I think I'm good but want to be sure. Someone told me that the 5000 is for towing with the ball on the bumper and the 9900 is for towing with the ball in the hitch. Is that true?

Thanks, and either way, it's one helluva truck for what I paid...I'll straighten out the hitch issue...

 

[Harleyfxdl]

You are right sir. 5000 is indeed for the bumper. The hitch receiver can tow 9900 lbs. Without the 4x4 system that truck will be a great riding tow vehicle. 3:55's are ok, I perfer 4:10's or even 4:30's in the Fords. I had 4:10's in my previous truck and what a difference it made towing. The great thing is, without the 4x4 system, you can swap out the gears for 4:10's if you desire and it won't kill your bank account.

 

[G8RDave]

Harley, I think you may be wrong about the bumper rating. Future, check on the tow hitch itself. It should have it's capacities listed. Just FYI, I have a 2003 F150 SuperCrew with the 4.6 and limited slip. It has been hauling my 228 just fine for two years. I just got back from a round trip to Key West. Gas mileage at 65mph was awfull, but the truck handled the weight fine. One thing I did do was to upgrade my hitch receiver from Class III to Class IV. The hitch receivers just bolt on so it is a very easy upgrade and is usually less than $200 (I think I got mine from Hitchfinders.com). Also, since your boat and trailer will be over 6000lbs, you'll want to make sure that the ball and hitch are rated for that weight. Many balls and hitches are only rated for 5000.

Okay, I stand corrected. The hitch I got would be just under $300. http://www.hitchfinder.com/products/Ult ... iver,41933

 

[chrisA.]

Took this right out of the 2007 owners manual,I would have thought it to be too much too!Even still I wouldn't pull it with the bumper.Using a step bumper (if equipped)
The rear bumper is equipped with an integral hitch and only requires a
ball with a one inch (25.4 mm) shank diameter. The bumper has a 5,000
lb. (2,270 kg) trailer weight and 500 lb. (227 kg) tongue weight capacity.
If it is necessary to relocate the trailer hitch ball position, a
frame-mounted trailer hitch must be installed